ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - After a blitz of detentions of suspected militants and Islamists, Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf called for a holy war against preachers of hate and announced steps to curb militant Islamic schools and groups.

Musharraf spoke on Thursday in a televised address to the nation, which was awaited with keen anticipation both at home and in Britain after revelations of Pakistani links to the July 7 bomb attacks on London that killed at least 56 people.

"I urge you, my nation, to stand up and wage a jihad (holy war) against extremism and to stand up against those who spread hatred and chaos in the society," Musharraf said.

But he had a message for Britain too, saying it had plenty to address on the homefront in the war against terrorism without getting into a blame game with Pakistan.

In the last week, Pakistani security forces have detained close to 300 people, prompting Pakistan's Islamist opposition parties to call for nationwide protests on Friday against the authorities' crackdown.

The vast majority of those detained were picked up in countrywide raids on private houses and madrasas, or Muslim religious schools, during the past two days.

None, according to British diplomats in Islamabad, had anything to do with the London bombings two weeks ago.

"No one connected to the London bombings has been arrested in Pakistan during the past 48 hours," Peter Wilson, political counsellor at the British High Commission, told Reuters.

Other media quoted the British embassy's high commissioner, Mark Lyall-Grant, as saying that no arrests linked to the bombings had been made in Pakistan since the attacks on July 7.

Security officials told Reuters on Wednesday they had on Monday arrested Haroon Rashid Aswad, a man reportedly wanted for questioning in London in connection with the bombings.

The Daily Times newspaper reported on Thursday that a Haroon Rashid had been picked up but it was not the same man.

BRITAIN HAS OWN TERRORISM PROBLEMS

Musharraf said that while three of the London bombers may have been of Pakistani descent, they were born and brought up in Britain, where extremist Islamist organisations also existed.

He pointed to two, the Hizb ut-Tahrir (Liberation Party) and al Muhajiroun (The Migrants).

"They had the audacity of passing an edict against my life and yet they operate with full impunity. They also give sermons of hate and anger and violence," he said.

"Therefore ... there is a lot to be done by Pakistan internally. And may I suggest there is a lot to be done in England also."

As Musharraf spoke, security forces raided the house of Hakeem Ehsan Jigranwi, president of the Punjab chapter of the Pakistani wing of Hizb ut-Tahrir in the eastern city of Lahore, detaining him and another man.

Musharraf addressed some British anxieties by announcing steps to rein in militant Islamic schools and organisations seen as having influenced the bombers. He said all madrasas would have to register with authorities by December.

He also said banned militant groups would not be allowed to re-form under new names or to raise funds, unauthorised arms would be strictly prohibited and action would be taken against the distribution of literature designed to spread hatred.

Some of the 50 suspects rounded up in the eastern province of Punjab this week were members of the outlawed Jaish-e-Mohammad and a splinter group allied with foreign al Qaeda operatives hiding in Pakistan.

In the southern province of Sindh, police have arrested 45 people, including Maulana Ali Sher Hyderi, a top leader of Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan, a Sunni extremist group with a record of attacks on minority Shi'ite Muslims.

But in Karachi, Sindh's capital, Deputy Inspector General of police Mushtaq Shah said no arrests were made during overnight raids on several madrasas and mosques. "It appears that they have gone underground, but we are chasing them," he said

Now this is a positive development, although I am not sure Musharraf is in more danger because of it.

He has been a marked man since 2001, and will be for the rest of his life.

I hope his security is up to its task.

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This is a positive development, but the proof will be in the pudding. Let's see how this all plays out. Will Musharraf be able to control and bring on board the dissidents among his own military who support Al Quada? So far, he's been able to control the situation as well as could be expected. If what Musharraf has announced is successfully enacted, it will be a big plus for those countries actively engaged in waging the war on terror.

Musharraf is really on the hot seat in this war against terror. Wouldn't want to be in his place for the world. And you're right--his security had better be up to the task because, no doubt, the attempts on his life will begin again because of this public pronouncement.

Given the fact that Musharraf's efforts were greeted with numerous protests against the crackdown, one would have to conclude that Musharraf's attempt to rein in islamic terrorists is not supported at the grassroot level. Seems that those "peaceful" moslems are getting rather hard to find these days.

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